


Stranger Still 2

by Lorilie



Series: Stranger Still [2]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-01
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-04-16 14:42:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14167143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lorilie/pseuds/Lorilie
Summary: Things have been going well for Kat Henderson considering everything that had happened in the past few months. She is dating Steve Harrington and had even managed to make a few new friends at Hawkins High. Everything seems to be back on track until she starts to have horrible nightmares and episodes of blacking out only to find herself places that she shouldn't be. Unable to cope with the stress she turns to Will Beyers for help, the only person who knows what she is gong through. Something is coming and Kat has to stop it but she doesn't know how.





	1. Chapter 1

“Katherine, Dustin, Steve is here!” Mrs. Henderson called from the kitchen. Both of her children quickly picked up their book bags and lunches before stopping to receive the mandatory goodbye kiss on the forehead. “Bye, Mom!” Dustin called as he flew out the door toward the BMW waiting in the driveway. “See you later,” Kat called to her mom as she went to leave, “Three-thirty, right?” Kat stopped before stepping out the door. “Mom, I know the past few months haven’t been easy for you. With me moving back and the hospital visits and everything but you have to let me have some kind of normal.  
Normal eighteen-year-olds don’t have to come home right after school. I need some sort of normalcy if I’m going to get back to for lack of a better word, normal.” Kat looked down at the knee high socks she wore to cover the scars from the burns she had suffered four months ago. “I know you want to keep me safe but locking me up in the house, keeping me away from my friends, it isn’t helping.” Mrs. Henderson bit her lip in concentration, “Alright, fine, but on a trial basis.” Kat squealed giving her mother a hug, “Thank you!” Mrs. Henderson hugged her daughter back but was slightly reserved, “I said on a trial basis, the first sign of trouble and it’s right back to three-thirty in your bedroom studying, okay?” Kat nodded enthusiastically and joined Dustin and Steve in the car.  
“That looked like some serious conversation.” Steve noted, “Well until another monster tries to destroy the universe I am no longer under house arrest.” Kat said triumphantly “Speak for yourself,” Dustin groaned kicking the back of Kat’s seat. “Hey, watch the upholstery,” Steve warned. “You know sometimes, Steve, I think you like this car more than you like my sister,” Dustin teased. “Hey,” Steve said as they pulled into the intersection at the bottom of the Henderson’s street “That’s not true. I do love this car more than I love your sister,” Steve retorted. “Oh my God, you are such a jerk,” Kat said playfully punching at Steve’s shoulder, “Weird because I thought you said you loved me, you know after I saved your life and all?” He replied playfully  
“Sir, I said that under extreme stress. That would not hold up in a court of law.”  
“Oh, we’re going to court, now?” Steve asked, eyebrows raised, “Of course, I’m suing you for emotional stress and for custody of this car,” Steve gasped in mock shock “You are not taking my baby,”  
“I thought I was your baby,” Kat cooed batting her eyelashes like a Jessica Rabbit cartoon “I’m literally going to vomit” Dustin yelled from the back seat. At the mention of this, both Steve and Kat turned around, “Not in the car!”   
After dropping Dustin off at the middle school Kat and Steve made their way on towards the high school. As they pulled up to their usual parking spot Kat’s friend Tabby was waiting, cigarette poised in her mouth. “Hmm,” Tabby hummed dramatically for the effect, Kat ignored her choosing to instead give Steve a small peck on the cheek before he jogged off to his first-period class. “Hmmm,” Tabby said again this time a little louder and slightly higher pitched, “What are you humming about?” Kat asked slightly annoyed. She and Tabby had become friends during Christmas break having worked as attendants in the Hawkins arcade. It was a lot of long hours counting up tickets behind a booth and handing out cheap prizes, so they had gotten pretty close pretty fast.   
“Well, I think I may have just solved a mystery,” Tabby concluded as she and Kat started to walk towards the entrance of the building. “And what mystery have you solved, Sherlock?” Kat asked, “My dear Watson, I do believe I have solved the mystery of whether or not Kat Henderson is, in fact, dating Hawking High School Royalty, Steve Harrington,” Kat rolled her eyes, “You can’t consider it a mystery you solved if I was the one who told you.” Kat replied, “I was just role-playing as the average Hawkins High student. And from my perspective you two are going steady.” Kat sighed, “Is it that obvious?” Tabby nodded, “I mean he’s been driving you to school for like two months, you're practically in his lap during lunch period, and don’t think I didn’t see that little smoochie smoochie before he left. I don’t get it if I was dating someone that hot and that popular I would take out an ad in the newspaper.” Tabby said almost sounding annoyed.   
“It’s just I don’t know its pretty new and I’m not trying to make any waves, you know? I’m just keeping a low profile until graduation.”   
“And dating Hawkin’s most eligible bachelor doesn’t really say ‘low profile’?” Tabby asked  
“Exactly, besides he and Nancy were...very public with their relationship”  
“If that’s what you want to call playing tonsil hockey in the hallway, sure.”   
“Right and I don’t want to-” Kat was fishing her brain for the words when Tabby interjected, “You don’t want to seem like the reason they broke up.” Kat cocked her head, “Right.” The two girls walked side by side as they headed toward their lockers.  
As they walked Kat couldn’t help but look to the memorial they school had constructed for Barb Holland. Behind a glass case was her yearbook photo and a few pieces of poetry she had written for an English class that were exceptionally good. Kat had gone to the funeral, the whole town did. In a place like Hawkins where everybody knew everybody else the loss of someone so young, so full of potential was felt by everyone. Tabby caught Kat looking towards Barb’s picture, “It’s just so sad,” she remarked, “Well, stuff like that doesn’t get less sad it just gets...forgotten,” Kat decided.  
The two girls stopped at Kat’s locker as she reached in to exchange the textbook she had brought home last night for the ones she needed for her class that morning. “I wouldn’t worry about that whole Steve/Nancy situation. Everyone knows why they broke up and his name is Jonathan Beyers,” Tabby said rather abruptly. Kat sighed, “Hey, go easy Tabitha, Jonathan is nice.” Tabby rolled her eyes, “You don’t leave a guy like Steve for ‘nice’. I bet you he has a huge-”   
“Tabby!” c  
“I’m just saying, you know I’m right,”   
“Well considering I haven’t seen it-” Kat started “Seen what?” Steve asked as he appeared behind her, “Jonathan Beyer’s penis.” Tabby said without any hesitation. “Well I would hope you haven't seen it, all things considered.” Steve said somewhat offended, “Tabby don’t you have someplace to be?” Kat asked widening her eyes, “Ironically enough I’m going to be late for anatomy. I will see you two lovebirds later.” She blew a kiss to Kat and disappeared into the crowd. “You could have picked anyone in this school to be your best friend,” Steve groaned. Kat smiled up at him, “Admit it she’s growing on you,”  
“Yeah, like a tumor. What was she badgering you about anyway?” As Steve asked that it dawned on Kat exactly what had just happened, “Bullshit.” She said confidently, “I’m sorry, what?” Steve asked. “Bullshit. Normal high school bullshit. Not demodog, end of the world craziness. Normal.” A bright smile broke out across Kat’s face. “I told you,” said Steve, “One day at a time.”


	2. Dismissed

After first period Kat visited her locker again and couldn’t help but think about what Tabby had said about keeping things with Steve private. She wondered if anything would really change if she had just come out and said that she was in love with Steve Harrington. Although she thought it would be best if she told him that first. What Steve had said in the car this morning was true, she had told him she loved him but only once and only after nearly dying. After that, neither one of them had said I love you. When Kat had first told Steve she loved him she had meant it but that was when everything had seemed to be moments away from absolute destruction. Now things were calm, mundane even but Kat still felt the same.  
She had tried on one other occasion to tell Steve she loved him. They were cuddled up together in his bed. He had been going through the college brochures his mother had left for him as Kat laid with her head on his chest every so often pointing out how nice a particular school looked. It was quiet and all Kat could hear was the rhythmic pulse of Steve’s heart in her ear. She thought how all she wanted to do was bottle this moment, this one calm moment and keep it forever. She wanted to tell him right then and there and she tried she opened her mouth but the words wouldn’t come out. Instead, she had something about how he should consider majoring in business or maybe it was finance. It didn’t matter because what she had said wasn’t what she had wanted to say.   
Suddenly an idea came to her, ripping out a piece of notebook paper she scribbled a message and headed towards the main office. She walked in calmly and greeted the secretary, “Hi Mrs. Northborn um Steve must have left this in his car this morning but it's a dismissal note from his mom. We’re supposed to go on a college tour today and I didn’t even remember until I realized what time it was.” The secretary looked her over with scrutiny, but in the end, handed Kat a signed dismissal note and instructed Kat to give the note to the teacher. Kat smiled politely and thanked the middle-aged woman and walked out the office doors and headed towards the science hall where Steve would not doubt falling asleep in biology.   
The teacher Mr. Litmus was in the middle of instructing the class on how to properly hold a microscope when Kat knocked on the frame of the open door. She caught Steve's eye as she entered and they shared a small smile “Can I help you?” Mr. Litmus asked, “Uh, hi, yeah, Mrs. Northborn sent me. Steve Harrington is being dismissed.” Kat said as she walked over to the teacher and produced the note. Mr. Litmus inspected the note and then looked at Steve who nodded vigorously. “Alright, well Mr. Harrington you know to read chapters-”  
“Yes, thank you, bye!” Steve blurted over his teacher and with that Kat and Steve took off down the hallway giggling. Once they reach the parking lot Steve turned to Kat, “So what are we doing?” his eyes bright. She smiled at him took his hand and lead him off towards his car.


	3. The Tree Line

They drove to the lake that sat right on the county line, it was the place everyone went to get drunk after prom or to hook up in the backs of cars but in the mid morning light it was quiet and serene. “Why’d you take us here?” Steve asked as Kat sat on the sand taking in the sunlight. “Because it’s special.” Steve sat down next to her lighting a cigarette, “And why would that be?” He asked her quietly. “When my parents would fight I would come here. It was the one place where everything was quiet, no yelling, no crying. Just quiet, you know?” Steve looked back to where they had parked, “That’s a pretty long walk,” he observed. “Well,” Kat said as she took a drag from his cigarette, “They had pretty long fights.” Steve wrapped his arm around her pulling her close, “I’m sorry,” Kat smiled slightly as she placed the cigarette back in between his lips, “Don’t be, sometimes I think the divorce was the best decision they ever made.”   
Steve took a long drag before snuffing the cigarette out in the sand. “I wish I could say the same,” Kat nuzzled herself up into the crook of Steve’s neck and he rested his chin on top of her head. “I mean it’s no secret my dad isn’t the most faithful guy, he isn’t like a bad guy he just can’t keep it in his pants.” There was a moment of silence before Steve spoke again, “Not that my mom is much better, she just packs up and goes to stay with her sister until she eventually forgives him. You’d think that at least one of them would remember they have a kid at home.” Kat shivered as a cool breeze came off from the lake, Steve reached and pulled her into his lap. “Well, by August you won’t have to worry about that. Have you made any decisions yet?” Kat mused as Steve placed small kisses across her neck, “I told you I’m going wherever you go-”  
“Steve-”  
“I just got you back, Kat. I’m not going to let you go that easy.” As if to illustrate this Steve wrapped his arms around her tightly. The sudden pressure made Kat laugh as Steve squeezed her around her ribs. She rocked her body to get away from the tickling sensation but only ended up taking Steve with her. The two laughed heartily as they rolled over each other and down the shore until finally coming to a halt when Steve had managed to pin Kat in place with his forearms on either side of her.   
Kat reached up and pushed back some of the hair that had fallen into his eyes, “You need a haircut,” she mocked. “Oh yeah?” Steve said as he shook like a wet dog whipping his hair across Kat’s face. She laughed at loud at the silliness of it all. As the laughter died down between them both, Kat took Steve’s face in between her hands, “I love-” before she could say anything something in the tree line caught her eye, “Barb?” Steve shook his head in confusion, “You love Barb?” Kat stood up shaking the sand off before darting into the tree line. Steve called out for her to wait but Kat knew what she had seen it was hard to mistake that brilliant shade of red hair. “Barb?” Kat called out, she kept pushing past all the low hanging branches and thorny bushes all while hearing Steve’s voice called out to her. Kat ran deeper and deeper into the thicket chasing after something that seemed to become less and less real.  
She pushed herself until her foot struck a tree root and she tumbled to the ground, the jagged rocks clawing at her skin. As Kat landed on the hard ground she felt all the air leave her lungs and she spent the next few moments gasping for breath as Steve caught up to her. “Kat, what the hell? Are you okay?” Kat nodded taking a few more moments to catch her breath, “I just, I thought I saw-”  
“Barb, I know. Kat are you okay,she’s dead, I mean we were at the funeral. She’s dead, Kat. There is no way you could have seen her.” Kat looked back into the woods before nodding slowly as the information washed over her again. Steve knelt and helped Kat to her feet, “ I know, I know, but I just thought…” Kat couldn’t bring herself to finish her thought. She knew Barb was dead that was a fact, a fact as cold and hard as the ground had been the day they buried her. But even as she reminded herself about that fact she couldn’t help but feel as if she had been completely certain in what she had seen. It had been Barbara Holland there was no way around that, dead or not that had to have been her. “Come on,” Steve said as he pulled Kat to her feet, “Let’s get you cleaned up.” Kat stood and looked down at her bloodied knees, the long sock having fallen down to her ankle. She scrambled to pull it up not wanting Steve to see the cross crossing scars on her shins, Steve looked away graciously knowing without a word that Kat was terrified of him seeing her scars.  
The two walked back to Steve’s car slowly, Steve wrapping his arm around Kat’s waist and helping to ease her into the seat. “I’m fine, really, Steve.” He laughed a little under his breath as he dropped to examine Kat’s knee, “Hmm, yes, we are most certainly going to have to amputate.” Steve said mocking seriousness, “Worst case I’ve ever seen!” He exaggerated, “Oh say it isn’t so Dr. Harrington,” Kat proclaimed breathlessly like one of the old black and white movie starlets her mother watched, “Doctor Harington? Hmmm I gotta say I like the sound of that,” Steve mused as he leaned in to kiss her, “This is highly inappropriate behavior, Doctor Harrington,” Kat whispered against Steve’s lips.  
Kat felt Steve smile against her mouth as she pulled him closer running a hand through his hair, stopping to let her hand droop lazily across the back of his neck. Steve’s hands roamed across Kat’s neck and through her hair, kissing her deeper as soft sighs escaped her lips. Steve’s hands left Kat’s body only for a moment to try and recline the seat as his fingers grazed the hard metal IT’S GONNA TAKE A LOT TO DRAG ME AWAY FROM YOU! Suddenly the car stereo in Steve’s car come on full blast and Toto’s Africa suddenly filled the space with such a brashness that would have made Dustin blush. Kat jerked away from Steve as Steve staggered backward from the car falling flat on his behind.  
Kat reached forward quickly to turn the radio off but the music cut off as suddenly as it had come one. Kat turned to Steve in surprise only to have Steve look her in the eye, eyes wide, holding the keys to the car in his hand, the engine hadn’t been running, the keys hadn’t even been in the ignition. Kat swallowed hard trying to ease the lump in her throat. If they had been anywhere else it would have just been a weird occurence, a technical oddity. But they weren’t anywhere else, hell, they weren’t anyone else, this was Hawkins and strange things didn’t just happen here, strange things meant danger.


	4. Star Wars

Steve took Kat back to his house, knowing that if Mrs. Henderson happened to come home and find her daughter and Steve in the house during school hours both of them would be dead meat. Steve’s house was empty as usual and the two went into the bathroom to wash the dirt and blood from Kat’s knees and legs. Steve sat Kat down on the lip of the bathtub and excused himself to go get some bandaids and antiseptic. Kat’s knees shook as the sudden realization that her scarred skin would be exposed to Steve for the first time. Kat cursed under her breath, she knew that it shouldn’t matter, but there was a voice in the back of her head that told it did, that it always would.  
Steve entered, “I have regular or neon, ladies choice.” He said with a smile as he pulled the two boxes of bandaids out from behind his back, “Regular is fine,” Kat answered quietly. Steve frowned, “You seem more like a neon girl wouldn’t you agree?” Kat shook her head, “They’ll just get covered by my socks,”  
“Well, then maybe you stop wearing the socks, I mean, come on, bright pink bandaid? What’s not to love?” Kat shook her head again and Steve sighed. Kat went to start unrolling the sock but winced as the fibers were ripped from the wound after having dried in the blood. “Here, let me,” Steve said. Kat shifted her legs away from him but Steve leaned forward placing his hands firmly on her things, “You gotta stop this,” Kat wanted to cry but refused to let Steve her upset over something this stupid, “I know, I know. It’s just that- I don’t know it’s like a constant reminder of weakness.”  
Steve tilted his head, “Weakness?” Kat put her head in her hands, “I froze up, I got scared and I froze up and you had to save me. That’s not who I want to be Steve, I don’t want to be the girl who always needs saving. I don’t want you to always have to be the hero every time, how am I supposed to protect Dustin from stuff if I can’t even help myself? What if what happened today- what if that thing is back? What if I can’t protect him what if I can’t protect you? Everytime I see those scars it’s like someone holding a big neon saying, ‘You can’t do anything, you’re pathetic!’” Steve looked at her hard, his eyes studying every inch of her face, “I’ve never said this before but, Katherine Henderson you are an idiot.”   
Kat shook her head in surprise, “I mean it, only an idiot would think you’re weak.”  
“But Steve-”  
“Only an idiot would think you, the girl who went into a dark ass basement with a stick to face an interdimensional monster is weak. Only an idiot would think a girl who fired a gun and shot one of those things in the mouth is weak. You stood up to Hargrove, you jumped into that hole even before the kids did, before I did. Kat you are the bravest person I’ve ever met.” Kat smiled softly at Steve, “You’re sweet, but I would gotten myself killed a half a dozen times without you.” Steve nodded nonchalantly, “Well that’s what boyfriends do.”  
“Boyfriend?” Kat asked, Steve blushed quickly running a hand through his hair, “Yeah I mean- well like-”  
“Solo come in Solo, over.”   
From somewhere in Steve’s room the walkie crackled to life as Dustin’s voice echoed in the empty room. The two teenagers looked at each other knowing that whatever moment they were close to having was over. “You got a walkie?” Kat mused, Steve muttered something under his breath about needing it for emergencies before leaving Kat to clean her wounds as he went to answer Dustin. “Solo here, come in Chewbacca, over.” Kat smiled as she listened to Steve using the code names she was sure the kids had argued over. “Code red, Solo, code red. Is Princess Leia with you? Over.”   
“Oh I get to be Princess Leia,” Kat teased. Steve rolled his eyes,”Dustin’s original idea was Jabba The Hutt,”   
“Yeah she’s with me, what’s up little man?”  
“You gotta say ‘over’ Solo and use the codenames, we don’t know who could be listening. Over.”   
“Okay Chewy, yeah the Princess is with me, what’s wrong? Over.”   
“Something is up with Yoda, you guys better get over here, like now. Over.”  
“Roger that. Over.”  
Kat had finished cleaning the cuts and scratches and had tenderly placed a variety of neon on bandaids over the open skin. “Which one is Yoda?” She asked Steve. Steve turned to her and there was clearly a look of worry in his eyes, “It’s Will, something is up with Will.”


	5. Dreams and Other Things

Kat and Steve drove, mostly silently to the Hawkins Arcade. When they arrived both of the teens got out and approached the gaggle of kids all huddled around their bikes. Kat and Dustin shared a look that said, ‘I know you cut class, but so did I’. Steve was the first to speak, “Okay, what’s the deal? This better be some kind of emergency if you guys are skipping school,” Kat put a hand on Steve’s forearm, a silent reminder that the kids wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t. “Will, had a dream.” Mike was the first one to speak “A dream?’ Kat asked. The smallest boy clung the very edges of the group as if he was desperate to disappear into the background. Kat’s heart sank, this poor boy had already been through so much, it seemed like it would never end.  
“Yeah-uh- about you, K-Kat” Will answered quietly. Steve raised an eyebrow, “Excuse me?”   
“Relax, Harrington.” Lucas said slyly, Steve gave him a harsh look and Lucas backed down as Max snickered behind him. Somewhere along the line Steve had become the undisputed leader of this small group of misfits and although he wouldn’t ever admit it, he loved every moment of being Steve the “big brother” but Kat saw him more as Steve the “dad”. “What was the dream about, Will?” Kat asked calmly seeing how the boy was truly struggling to tell her. Will looked to Mike as if for reassurance and Mike nodded. “I saw you two, the both you at the beach.”   
Steve flushed red but Kat pushed on, “And?” She asked Will, “But you saw me, Kat. You saw me and started to chase me and then you fell and hurt your leg.” Kat felt her throat close at this and a panic started to spread throughout her. “You have to tell her the important thing, Will.” Dustin practically whispered. “I felt something in the dream, something that I’ve only felt, when the-the Mind Flayer was in my head.” Will shuddered and Mike put a protective arm around him. “So you think it’s back? Back in your head?” Steve asked. “No, it felt different, it was like I was spying on him this time. He didn’t know I was there, seeing what he saw. But I could feel what he felt, I could understand him it was like we were still connected.”  
Kat bit down hard on her thumbnail in deep concentration, “Okay, so what do we do? How do we protect you, Will?” Will looked her her with such an intensity that Kat almost looked away to avoid his gaze, “It’s not me you have to protect. It wants you Kat, it’s after you.” Kat looked at the kids and they looked back at her and Kat saw the absolute fear in her brother’s eyes. “Well, Will, maybe it was just a dream. I mean Steve and I have been in school all day, haven’t we, Steve?” Kat looked to the young man who seemed to already be a million miles away, “Steve?”   
Steve nodded, “Uh, yeah we were.” The kids looked back at Kat with a scrutiny that made her skin crawl. “ Look, El closed the gate. We have nothing to worry about anymore. It was just a bad dream Will.”   
“Then why all the bandages, Kat?” Max asked. “I fell in P.E, no big deal. You guys should really be in class, now get back before anyone notices you’re gone.” The kids looked to Steve for his approval and he nodded in agreement. The group parted ways, the kids biked their way back to school and Steve and Kat headed towards the car. The two sat in silence watching as the kids pedaled away. Once they were a good distance away Steve pounded the steering wheel hard, “God fucking dammit!” Kat said nothing as she stared out the window. “Shit, Kat,” Steve moaned into his hands. “Shit, I just-” Before Steve could finish his sentence Kat placed a soothing kiss on his lips, “That doesn’t always work,” he murmured as they parted. “Don’t worry about it, okay? I’m going to take care of it.” Steve shook his head, “You can’t do this alone, we’ve seen what this thing can do there is no way you can do this by yourself.” Kat stayed quiet as she studied Steve’s face, she wondered if the next time she saw it would be the last.


	6. Nightmares

The nightmares started a few days after the incident at the lake, but they weren’t like any nightmares that Kat had had before. In each one she watched herself do horrible things. Once she watched herself slap her mother and call her awful names. In another she took all of Dustin's comic book and burned them in the backyard. The one that scared her the most however was the one with Steve. She had been laying down in the backseat of his car as he positioned himself above her kissing her over and over again. Her hands tangled in his hair and down his back as she pulled him deep and deeper into every kiss. He whispered her name and bit at her neck. Then suddenly and without warning her hand wrapped around his throat and squeezed tightly. Steve was startled at first but as Kat squeezed harder and harder and his face turned an ungodly shade of red he began to claw at her knuckles.  
He was bigger than her, stronger, he should have been able to over power her but something else was controlling Kat giving her strength that she had never even known she was capable of. Once Steve’s hands begin to fall slack by his sides Kat bashed his head into the passenger side door. Kat awoke just before the steady stream of blood oozing from Steve’s head reached her finger tips. Sitting straight up in bed Kat let out a horrendous scream, a scream that seemed to shake the house. Dustin ran in, his socked feet flipping on the hardwood floor. “Kat!” He lunged for his sister as she collapsed in his arms. Dustin stood motionless unsure of what to do, he couldn’t even remember the last time he had seen his sister cry, “It’s okay, it’s okay,” he muttered as he clumsily ran a hand down her back like his mother used to do for him.   
Kat’s whole body shook as long, breathless sobs left her lips and echoed down the hallway. “Steve,” she cried out, “I killed Steve.” Dustin watched as his sister again was sent into hysterics,”I didn’t want to -it wasn’t- I didn’t,” Kat was sputtering bits of incoherent excuses. Dustin remained quiet as he gently stroked his sister's back. “It was just a dream, Kat. Steve’s fine, it was just a dream.” Kat moaned as the last bits of terror melted away. “I’m sorry, did I wake you up?” She asked her brother gently, “Well, I mean, yeah kind of, but it’s okay.” Dustin hoisted himself so he was seated next to Kat on the bed. “Do you think this has anything to do with Will’s dream from a few days ago?” Kat bit her lip, perhaps it was a possibility. The dreams seemed to be becoming more and more intense and each one Kat felt as if she were watching herself, like she wasn’t an active participant in her own life. Each one left Kat a bit more afraid.  
“I don’t know, I don’t think so.” Dustin shifted nervously in his seat, “If it was, would you tell me?” Kat thought for a moment before turning to look at him, “Of course,” she lied. Dustin smiled sleepily and Kat’s heart ached. “Is it okay if I sleep in here tonight? Just in case you have another bad dream?” Dustin asked as he began to pull a pillow towards the foot of the bed. Kat smiled as he began to roll himself up in her old quilt. Before Kat could even process what was happening Dustin was gently snoring as he laid spread out horizontally across her comforter. Kat squeezed in between her brother’s weight and the blankets and tried to calm herself. Even as she tried to ignore the dream she had just escaped from, ignore the weird radio incident and Will’s dream, Kat could feel someone watching her, something big, bad, something she couldn’t escape.


	7. Glass Rainbows

The next morning Kat awoke to the sound of someone humming close to her ear. She half listened as she felt the bed dip next to her and a sudden warmth that hadn’t been there before enveloped her. Her brain was still fuzzy with sleep but the humming was persistent, it was Tom Petty’s American Girl, her favorite. An arm slowly worked its way across Kat’s torso as it pulled her toward a body Kat knew well. “Steve,” she groaned half asleep, “what are you doing?” The boy laughed quietly as he pulled her closer gently kissing her cheek, “Well, for one thing, I couldn’t sleep and I just so happen to know your mom works the early shift on Saturdays. That and you have that nasty habit of leaving your bedroom window unlocked.” Kat giggled sleepily as she let her body relax against his.  
Curling up next to Steve felt right like their bodies were pieces of a puzzle snapping into place. Sleeping next to Steve felt so natural like it was something she had been doing her whole life, she sometimes wondered how she could have gone all those years without his body wrapped around hers. Kat rolled over to face Steve and he smiled at her in the dim morning light. Kat peered over his shoulder trying her best to read the analog clock that sat on her nightstand, 5:37 am. Kat let out a soft sigh as she cuddled into Steve’s chest hearing his heart softly beat in her ears. There was something so calming about hearing Steve’s heartbeat like it was telling her that everything would be alright because he was here and nothing could get to her if Steve was there.  
Steve placed a small kiss on Kat’s forehead as she shifted again trying to find the comfortable spot she had been sleeping in just moments before. The room was so silent and it was slowly beginning to fill with the scent of the cigarette Steve had just finished and dewy grass outside. “Come on,” Steve whispered, “let’s go on an adventure.” Kat groaned burying her head deeper into his chest, “But the bed is warm and outside is not warm.”   
“An intellectually stunning debate, sweetheart, come on.” Steve pulled her into his lap, helping her out of bed. Before moving for the door Kat looked back at Dustin who was sprawled out on the floor after having fallen from the bed at some point. For a moment a memory came into focus, it was the day Kat and her dad had left for California.   
Dustin had been younger then, just about seven. She had angrily packed a bad throwing in clothes as she frantically emptied drawers. Dustin had wandered into her room and looked at her with his large blue eyes and had asked why she had to go, why did dad have to go, why was their mother crying. Kat didn’t answer, well no, that wasn’t true. She had answered but she had told him she didn’t have time to answer all his dumb baby questions and told him to stay out of her way. She had been so angry back then, she felt betrayed by her parents, they were supposed to be there for her, but instead, all they ever did was fight and scream. Kat was abruptly brought back to the present when Steve placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, “He’ll be fine.”   
Slipping out into the new morning the pair walked to Steve’s car and gingerly climbed inside as if trying not to wake up the vehicle. The car ride was quiet and Kat took a few moments to take in the image of Hawkins in the dreamy early morning light. It seemed surreal like it was a perfect replica of Hawkins, neat and tidy without any of the dirty undersides that the real Hawkins had. Steve drove the two of them to an old factory building that lay abandoned just outside of town. When they arrived Kat hesitantly stepped out, “You aren’t going to kidnap me, are you? This seems like a prime kidnapping place.” Steve just rolled his eyes and moved towards the door. The door looked heavy but the metal was corroded and flakey and Steve pushed the door open without much strain. Checking his watch every few seconds Steve hurried up the stairs of the building with Kat trailing behind. Finally, they arrived on the third floor and Steve took Kat’s hand. “Watch your feet,” as she noted the several shards of broken glass. He leads her to the center of the room and positioned her not speaking a word while he did.  
Kat stayed quiet and waited patiently for whatever it was that Steve was planning. With one last look at the watch, Steve smiled, “Okay, now look at the east wall.” Kat did as she was told and as the sun slowly rose behind her it glinted off the pieces of glass casting a beautiful mural of brilliant rainbows on the wall in front of her. The rainbows found their way across her skin and the sunlight danced across her arms and legs. Kat smiled broadly at the sight, this was the closest thing to real magic she had ever seen, she thought. After a few moments the sun continued on its upward path and the rainbows dulled and faded. Once the display was no more Kat joined Steve on the other side of the room.  
“That was beautiful,”  
“You’re beautiful.” Kat blushed, she still found herself flustered when Steve was overly romantic. Steve took a step towards her, taking her hand in his. “Kat, you’re amazing.” Kat shivered a little suddenly very aware of the cool morning air.  
“The moment I saw you that day when you first came back I knew I would be the biggest idiot in the world if I didn’t ask you out on a date.” Kat smirked, “You never actually did,” she reminded him. “Anyways, I knew from the moment we met again that I just had to have you in my life. I mean you are the strongest, most intelligent, bravest, woman I have ever met. You gave me a run for my money and I’ve never met a girl who could do that before. Don’t take this the wrong way but you knocked me down a peg, you made me work to just get a moment of your time and it was so worth it.” Kat felt her nose begin to sting slightly as tears were sure to start flowing but she bit her lips and tried to keep herself composed.  
“I don’t know why it has taken me this long to tell you that I love you, but I do. I love you Katherine Henderson, and if I have to fight a new type of monster every day just to see you smile I will.” Kat walked over to him savoring each step as she took it, she wanted to remember this moment forever. “I love-” just as Kat began to say those four simple words there was a horrendous crashing inside her head. It was as if a nuclear blast had just ignited five miles away. She looked at Steve to see his reaction but his eyes were only filled with concern as Kat sank to her knees as the tremendous sounds filled her head. Kat screamed as a pressure built inside her skull, her eyes unable to focus and her limbs shaking.  
At some point, the pain became too much and Kat blacked out. She faded in and out of consciousness. She saw Steve above her, his lips crying out her name. Then she was in the car again, the sky outside the windows moving impossibly fast. Suddenly the Chief’s eyes hovered just above hers, his hands on either side of her head. His lips too were calling her name but she still couldn’t hear anything, just a piercing hum. She caught a few glimpses of the Chief’s daughter, Jane. Finally, the sound ceased and Kat faded into a deep, deep sleep.


End file.
